Fish directing and turning apparatus



F. HEATH FISH DIRECTING AND TURNING APPARATUS Oct. 30, 1928. 1,689,919

Filed Dec. '7. 1926 I N V EN TOR. FRANK HEATH A TTORNEY Patented Get. 30, 192st wee-see ems; be MTIONAL 1 diTY, magma r153 {mimd'rmo AND 'TURNiNG APPARATUS.

- Applicatiem niea neoember 7, 1926. Serial in. 153,056.

1 M present invention'relatesto an apparatus or receiving fish after the same are segregated and directing and turning the same tplfipal'd-tdly'to heingbeheaded. Y

The .primary object of this invention is toiprovide improvements over my cofipending dpfilication for fish segregating, directing, ghiding'and turning apparatus, filed in the United States Patent ()fiiceJune 25th, 1925,

" Serial No. 39,557. i

it The objectsofmy iinptovements are: first,

td provide an apparatus of thisclass ferreeeiving fish from n "means 'in which the fish have heenaprevioilsly"segregated and directed with their heads infone direction; the appa- "mtus sewin wisy the fish substantially flutmiiseiwith all thebacks of 'the fish at one side; second, to rovide anapparaths'ofthe i las's mentioned or Cheekingthe speed ofthe fish as the same'ententhe directing aindturnl ling appuratus from themeens forrse regati in 'afld dimcting the heads in one direction;

third, to provide {ant iipperatus of this class whereby"the fiSlIWillbB fed atmoreieglllar intervals from these regating and heacl direacting" means to the 5 head removing means folirth,*to previd'ewspeed checking means of 'elass whereb the fish willnotdouble sp ny sudden impact therewith; fiftlnto pro- Vid'ea means of this class which will direct, cheek the speed i of, and turn on their backs fish of various" sizes without "ehange of construction or Without adjustment; sixth, to' rovide nove-l chute means for turningv fish rem their 1 back s unto Ktheir'siiles with their backs lat one side of the chuteand seventh, tdpfovide as a 'whole'a novelly constructed app'amtus'ofthis class and one which ispar- 3 tiicu'lflirly simple andeconomical ofconstruca tion, durable, eilieienhand whieh will 'not readily deteriorate or get oiit oforder.

with these and otheryobjects in 'vievgas,

" em iippelar hereinaftermy invention 'con rsists of certainnovelfeatures of construction, eom-biria'tien and arrangement of parts and portiensyaswill be herein'a-fter desctibed'in -detail ma partic'illarly set forth-in-the appended cllainis, ret-creme being "had to the aceornpaiiyingdrawings end to the characters 'of; refereue'ice thereom which form a part of this applieetion in 'whieh: I

Figure 1 is a fragmentary viewvtakenon the line l-- 1 'of- F igi flysho ving tWo "of a battery? of Suchappamtus Fig; 2 is ;a frag 'mmery seeciemlvi'ew thereof eflkeathrough -:22 of Fig, 1,-'sho Wing certain parts and 11 ort1ol'nsin elevation to facilitate the'illt'istration; "and-Figs. 3; 4, 5 andh are trans verse seetional "views of the chutes taken respectively on the lines'3j3; 4-4, 55-and Bike characters of reference refer to similar vpart-s and portions throughout the several views of the drawings; i

The stationary chute l f noveble 'chuteQ, supports 3 and 4, hinge 5, springl6,-support 7,-hrush 8, shaft9, and the fish tlirning chute constitute the principal part-s {find iportions of m-yfijshdireoting andtui'ning'a-ppamtus. 'My fish'clireet-ing and-turning appartttus. a as shjownin the; dra'Wihg s 'ispositioned when angle with the horizontal so-that the fish may be fed by gravity from the means for v segregating the fishand directing the heads thereof in one directien,-not shown; tofithe means for beheading thefish; alsonot-shojwn. Tl1e. chute 1 receives the fish; at itsziipper 1 er head end from-a chute -11 which receives the wfiSll,'l1GQdS foremost, f remf the directing {and segregating means; Theiohilte' 1; is provided ywjv th a'longitudinally extending central pa-rt tlen 1 Wlii0l1 diVlClBS iSaid ehute llltQwtWO channel-'51P, said channels converging slightlydr'om their npp'eror head ehds tbw a'rd their lo'weno'r"discharge ends. Into each of 'theheadendsof the channels l are directed the=discharge ends: of's'epal'ratei chutes 1 1," the separate chutes -11 directed into one chute 1,

being-preferably connected with asin'gl'eiunit t of'the fish directing' and segregating means. The clnite.v 1c {is supported 'on -a support 3' 'Which may be in 'the form of 1 an angle i won r and which extends across "the ems-chine *for 'sl'ipporti'ngia battery ef'directingzandturn- I ingwmits; u v I a A considerable distance from the 3 isanether similar-supporte en which is mounted and fixed theupperor head end of the tu'i'ningchute 10, whichis inzilig'nment with the ehute ltgconnecting th-e chutes 1 end 10, is an iilterr'nediatennovzihlechute 2 whieh is supported near its disehar'g'e end, by ine-ans ofthehingefi, on the support-4, the discharge end of the chute 2 extending into the chute 10 and the opposite end 1 of the former heing'positioned eroundthe disTc'han-ge V endofthe chute ;1.- Th ns, fillehfiit dflfldiof the connecting 1 chuteqZ is permitted to be shifted downwerdly lfelati vei to the chute l.

flhe heed end of the ehu-tefi: is hofinally held lit) in an upward position, or in engagement with the discharge end of the chute 1 by a spring means which consists of a spring 6 secured at one end to a suitable support 7 and at its opposite end to the free end of the chute 2, the latter connection being pretcrably made by mcansot a band 12 straddling and secured to the lateral side of the chute 2 near the tree end of the latter, as shown in Figs. 1. and 2.

lVithin the chute 2 and immediately below the discharge end of the chute 1, is positioned a circular brush 8 of relatively large diameter, which brush is mounted on a shaft- 9 revolving in the direction shown by the arrow. The bristle portion of the brush substantially fills the chute 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, so that no fish can pass through the chute 2 without engaging the brush. Said brush is preferably provided with long bristles so that the same may yield readily, or the same may be made of other readily yieldable material. It will be netted that the member 8 may be made as a drum provided with suitable projections, and the spring 6 may be correspondingly yieldable to prevent the fish from being mashed between the chute and the member 8.

The head end of the chute 2 is relatively wide and is adapted to receive the fish flatwise with their heads foremost. After the fish pass under the brush, the same are turned from their sides onto their backs by the pressure of the brush forcing the thickest portion of the fish which is their backs, to the center and bottom of the chute because of its greater depth at that point. The head end of the chute 10 is also narrow and receives the fish while on their backs and with their heads foremost. The chute 10 is of substantially the same cross section from end to end, but the perpendicular axis of the channel therein is gradually turned from a vertical position at the head end to an almost horizontal position at the discharge end. Thus, the fish, entering the chute 10 on their backs, are turned gradually on their sides with their backs at the same side of the chute. Thus, the fish all assume the same position before entering the beheading machine above referred to.

The fish enter the channels of the chute 1 at considerable velocity but their speed is checked on reaching the brush 8 and all fish leave the brush at a uniform speed. Also, as the fish pass into the chute l, or before leaving the chutes 11, the fish may be distorted, but as the same pass under the brush 8, the same are ironed out and are forced to assume uniform positions in the chute 2. The resilient mounting of the free end of the chute 2 permits the apparatus to accommodate many sizes of fish. Said brush also times the fish in their passage from the segregating and directing means to the beheading means.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, 1 do not wish tobe limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination and arrange ment substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a speed checking apparatus of the class described, an unobstructed fish direct ing chute adapted to receive fish on their normally flat sides, and a circular brush mounted on an axis transverse with the axis of the chute and extended with its bristles into the latter for engaging the upwardly turned normally fiat side of a fish.

2. In a speed checking apparatus of the class described, an unobstructed inclined fish directing chute, and a brush revolubly mounte ed adjacent thereto with its axis, extending transversely with respect to the axis of the chute and with its bristles extending into the same for engaging a normally flat side of a fish in the chute.

3. In a speed checking apparatus of the class described, an inclined fish directing chute, and a revoluble member mounted adjacent thereto on an axis transverse with the longitudinal axis of the chute and extending into the same for engaging a normally flat side of a fish in the chute.

4:. In a speed checking apparatus of the class described, an inclined chute, a revoluble member mounted adjacent thereto on an axis transverse with the longitudinal axis of the chute and extending into the same for engaging a normally flat side of a fish in the chute, and means for revolving said I'evolublc member.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a stationary chute, a movable chute pivotally mounted at one end and extended with its opposite end under the one end oi said stationary chute. and revoluble means mounted above said movable chute for forcing fish passing through the same against the bottom thereof.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a stationary chute, a movable chute pivotally mounted at one end and extended with its opposite end under the one end of said stationary chute, revoluble means mounted above said movable chute for forcing fish passing through the same against the bottom thereof, and yielding means for normally forcing the end of the movable chute, extended under the stationary chute, in close proximity to the latter.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclined stationary chute, an inclined movable chute, the latter being pivotally mounted at its lower end and extended with its opposite free end below the lower end of said stationary chute, and a revoluble brush mounted above said movable chute and extended into the same.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclined stationary chute, an inclined movable chute, the latter being pivotall mounted at its lower end and extended wit its opposite free end below the lower end of said stati0nary chute, a revoluble brush mounted above said movable chute and extended into the same, and a spring means connected with the free end of the movable chute for normally forcing the same towardsaid stationary chute and toward said brush.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, chute means having separate fish directing passages, a movable chute pivotally mounted at one end and extended with its opposite end to communicate with each of the passages of I said chute means, and a revoluble member mounted above said movable chute and extending into the same for forcing fish from each of said channels. against the bottom of said movable chute.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclined chute means having separate chan nels at one end merging into a unitary channel, and a brush revolubly mounted above said unitary channel and extending into the same. I

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Diego, California, this 27 day of November, 1926.

FRANK HEATH. 

